Pharmaceutical use of aspirin

Aspirin is a drug compound derived from salicylic acid that is commonly used to control pain and fever. Also known as acetylsalicylic acid and 2-(acetyloxy)-benzoic acid, it is prepared by the acetylation of salicylic acid with acetic anhydride. Aspirin has a molecular formula of C9H8O4. The illustration shows its structural representation. See also: Aspirin; Salicylate

Structural representation of aspirin (C9H8O4).

Salicylic acid has been a natural remedy since ancient times, when preparations made from the bark of the willow tree, via its active principle salicin, were known to provide a measure of pain relief. The perennial herb meadowsweet (mead wort) also contains this compound. When consumed, salicin is metabolized to salicylic acid. In the 1800s, various techniques to extract salicin and prepare salicylic acid were developed. Through the efforts of the German research chemist Felix Hoffmann, aspirin was synthesized and marketed by the Bayer pharmaceutical company in 1899. See also: Pharmaceutical chemistry; Pharmacology; Pharmacy; Willow

Aspirin is effective as an analgesic (pain reliever), antipyretic (fever reducer), and anti-inflammatory drug. It prevents the aggregation of platelets, and some evidence suggests that it can prevent stroke. Aspirin is the preferred drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and it has been used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. See also: Analgesic; Arthritis; Fever; Inflammation; Pain

Individuals exhibit differences with regard to the absorption, tolerance, and therapeutic usefulness of aspirin. Intolerance to aspirin may result from a specific condition that alters the receptors for the molecule on the body’s cells. The clinical symptoms of aspirin sensitivity are similar to those encountered in clinical allergy and anaphylaxis. Consequently, reactions caused by aspirin have been thought to represent an aspirin allergy. In addition, aspirin has been linked to the development of Reye’s syndrome (a rare but acute condition leading to swelling in the liver and brain) that occurs in children who are recovering from a viral disease. Because of this association, children under 19 years of age who are recovering from episodes of chickenpox or flu-like symptoms are cautioned not to take aspirin. See also: Allergy; Anaphylaxis; Brain; Liver disorders

Y. Zhou, D. M. Boudreau, and A. N. Freedman, Trends in the use of aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the general U.S. population, Pharmacoepidemiol. Drug Saf., 23(1):43–50, 2014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.3463

Additional Readings

D. Jeffreys, Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004

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